CD Reviews

Neko Case | Middle Cyclone

Anti (2009)

By ZETH LUNDY | March 2, 2009

4.0 Stars

It's hard to resist the obvious thing here — you know, with a title like that — and not speak in metaphors of inclement weather, just as it was tough to avoid summoning wildlife when discussing Case's previous album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Animals and storms are, after all, Case motifs. And it's even harder when the music itself — those brushed drums and plucked guitars ringing out with skedaddled tail-chasing resolve — fashions its own little twisters.

The atmosphere is less country noir than arpeggiated sunrise, as "This Tornado Loves You" and "People Got a Lotta Nerve" demonstrate with fog-lifting clarity. When Case sings "I'm a maneater" in the latter, she's not talkin' Hall & Oates jive — she's a proxy for beastly things, a creature of counsel. Middle Cyclone is her most fearless and arresting record, ruthlessly composed and beautifully recorded (the army of pianos in the cover of Harry Nilsson's "Don't Forget Me," tracked in a Vermont barn, radiates a warm-as-the-universe feeling).

Two of the best tracks, "I'm an Animal" and "Red Tide," have their escalating refrains cut short. Darwinist pop, perhaps? "My courage is roaring like the sound of the sun," Case sings, her voice calling out across the æther, anima tempestuosa.

NEKO CASE | Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass Ave, Boston | April 11 @ 8 pm | $30 |www.ticketmaster.com

Related: Love and consequences, Music Seen: Neko Case + Haru Bangs, Song of herself, More

Love and consequences
Two of indie music's most popular and tortured songwriters, Will Oldham and Neko Case, try to reconcile encroaching middle age with a past of bad habits on their new albums.
Music Seen: Neko Case + Haru Bangs
First things first: Neko Case is the complete package, an unmitigated bombshell (gorgeous, wry, self-effacing) with a singular artistic vision (country/folk songs so heavy on metaphor and animistic and obscure mythological references that you could — and should — unpack them for months) and a voice like an air-raid siren.
Song of herself
"Listen, I will go on record saying I love Feist, I love Neko Case. I love that music. But that shit's easy listening for the twentysomethings. It fucking is. It's not hard to listen to any of that stuff."
Making waves
A packed weekend begins THURSDAY (the 30th) when the ladies take over at the Hi-Hat, with MELISSA FERRICK and locals Seriously Fierce (aka Heather Rose and Keturah) opening, call 401.453.6500.
Peter Wolf | Midnight Souvenirs
This Boston music legend’s metamorphosis from party animal to monster songwriter became complete with his previous solo album.
Don't mess with Neko
For some reason, an audience member hurled a CD — no case, just the shiny, sharp-edged disc — at the stage early in the band's set. This prompted New Pornographer Case to say, half-jokingly, "Whoever threw that, come up here, and I will fucking fight you. . . . I will go to jail, I don't give a shit."
2009: The top 10 in pop music
Hmm, lots of women, a few old dudes, and some African banjo (not to be confused with Steve Martin's Hollywood banjo).
50 shows to see before finals week
This is a message fromBostonFunShit, the Phoenix's authority on having a good time: Get out of your dorm. Here are 50 ways to have an unforgettable evening this semester.
Buzz not loud enough for Burnett's spectacular 'Speaking Clock Revue'
Supposed they gave a splashy benefit show and almost nobody knew about it? This appeared to be the case when artist/producer T Bone Burnett brought his "Speaking Clock Revue" to the Wang Theatre over the weekend.
Photos: New Pornographers at the House of Blues
New Pornographers perform live at the House of Blues on June 18, 2010.
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Topics: CD Reviews , Berklee Performance Center, Harry Nilsson, Harry Nilsson, More

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